State House calendar, week of Feb. 17, 2013

L.D. 218 “An Act To Promote Small-scale Poultry Farming” Exempts poultry farmers from inspection that either process less than 1,000 birds annually, and those that process more than 999 and fewer than 2,000 birds annually.

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L.D. 218 “An Act To Promote Small-scale Poultry Farming” Exempts poultry farmers from inspection that either process less than 1,000 birds annually, and those that process more than 999 and fewer than 2,000 birds annually.

L.D. 259 “An Act To Allow a Person Who Owns a Slaughterhouse To Slaughter Poultry for Other People” This emergency bill allows for a slaughterhouse to rent their house for the purpose of slaughtering poultry, as long as the slaughtering is performed by the owner/ operator of the house, the poultry is not being sold or transported out of state, and the information is printed on the label.

Energy, Utilities and Technology; public hearings; room 211; Cross Building

L.D. 131 “An Act To Secure the Safety of Electrical Power Transmission Lines” Requires the Public Utilities Commission that transmission line petitions include a description of design measures that limit damage from electromagnetic field levels and geomagnetic storms and requires the commission consider electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic storms for all transmission lines and in the future and under construction upon the effective date of this bill.

L.D. 179 “An Act To Amend the Anson and Madison Water District Charter” Makes the end date for terms of the trustees of the Anson and Madison Water Districts the dates of the respective annual town meetings. No longer makes the water district to submit legislation to repeal their charters upon their dissolution.

L.D. 123 “An Act To Ensure Proper Anatomical Recovery of Human Bodies and Body Parts” Requires that people or entities that perform anatomical recovery register as such, punishes for those who do not and requires records of receipt, use, processing, transplantation, transfer and disposal of human bodies and body parts be kept.

L.D. 180 “An Act Concerning the Use of Tobacco Settlement Funds for Children’s Health Care” Requires that the Fund for a Healthy Maine funding for children’s health care not be reduced in order to address a budget deficit.

L.D. 181 “Resolve, To Require Hospitals To Provide Information Regarding Testing for Krabbe Disease for Parents of Infants” Requires the DHHS and CDC develop a pamphlet on testing for Krabbe disease for distribution by a hospital to all parents of newborn infants or to parent of any child 6 months old currently being treated by Dec. 1.

L.D. 252 “An Act Regarding Registration and Correction of Death Information on Death Certificates” Adds the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as a certifier of cause of death to accommodate the electronic death registration system and permits the office to electronically submit amendments to the death certificate using the electronic death registration system.

L.D. 253 “An Act Regarding Registration of Fetal Deaths” Allows fetal death certificates to be filed with the Registrar of Vital Statistics and the municipal clerk, authorizes preparation of fetal death certificates with medical information provided by a doctor or witness.

L.D. 96 “An Act To Enhance the Deer Population by Increasing Control of Coyotes through Local Conservation Organizations” Authorizes the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and wildlife to establish a coyote bounty to be paid from federal funding and sets coyote trapping season from Oct. 15 to Feb. 15.

L.D. 41 “An Act To Allow a Person 65 Years of Age or Older To Fish with Bait in any Inland Water” Allows people 65 and older to use bait in inland waters and troll a fly in inland waters restricted to fly-fishing only.

L.D. 42 “An Act To Prohibit the Use of Rubber Lures for Fishing” Prohibits the use of rubber lures when angling or fishing.

L.D. 43 “An Act To Ban the Use of Nondegradable Hooks for Fishing” Requires that a fishing hook must be made of material that degrades or decomposes.

L.D. 44 “An Act Regarding Pharmacy Provider Audits” Limits the amount that may be recouped in pharmacy audits, prohibits the collection of amounts due as a result of an audit until audit is finished, limits access by pharmacy auditors to certain recorders, requires advance notice of an audit and requires random sampling of pharmacy transactions.

Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee; public hearings; room 208; Cross Building

L.D. 148 “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Drugs and Vaccines Administered by Pharmacists” Allows pharmacists to administer vaccines to people 9 years old or older with a valid prescription and allows a pharmacy intern to administer drugs and vaccines with direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.

L.D. 171 “An Act To Facilitate the Licensing of International Mail Order Prescription Pharmacies by the Maine Board of Pharmacy” Includes entities located outside of the U.S. that distribute prescriptions by mail or carrier from a facility not located in Maine to a pharmacy or a patient who lives in Maine as mail order prescription pharmacy and authorizes the Maine Board of Pharmacy to enter into reciprocal inspection agreements with countries where mail order prescription facilities sell drugs to Maine.

L.D. 11 “An Act To Allow Vehicles Engaged in Snow Removal or Sanding Operations on Public Ways To Use Preemptive Traffic Light Devices” Emergency bill adds snow removal and sanding vehicles contracted by the municipal, county, or state agencies to the list of vehicles that can use emergency traffic signals switches.

L.D. 17 “An Act To Require Motorists To Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalks” Requires operators of a motor vehicle to stop and yield to right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing within marked crosswalks.

L.D. 21 “An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Laws Governing Requisite Tire Size” Removes the requirements that overall diameters of a tire be within 2 inches of the range of sizes recommended by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle.

L.D. 68 “An Act To Prohibit the Use of a Handheld Mobile Telephone while Operating a Motor Vehicle” Prohibits the use of handheld mobile telephones while operating a motor vehicle, except law enforcement officers, corrections officers, firefighters, drivers of authorized emergency vehicles, holders of commercial driver’s licenses, physicians, municipal public works personnel, Maine Turnpike Authority personnel and state transportation personnel, including all employees and contractors of the Department of Transportation during the scope of their employment.

L.D. 75 “An Act To Ensure Pedestrian Safety in Roundabouts” This bill requires the Department of Transportation to install a crosswalk at a high-use roundabouts on a state highway at least 150 feet from the edge of the roundabout.

1:30 p.m.

Judiciary Committee; public hearings; room 438; State House

L.D. 19 “An Act To Facilitate Access to Information by Legislators” Requires holders of public record waive inspection, copying and mailing fees for members of the Legislature who serve on committees relevant to the record’s subject matter.

L.D. 45 “An Act To Include a Representative of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs in the House of Representatives” Requires the Tribal Clerk of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to furnish the outgoing Clerk of the House of Representatives with a certification of the name and residence of the Representative-elect of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to the Legislature, to be compensated in the same manner as other House members. This all gives the Aroostook Band of Micmacs a representative in the House.

L.D. 104 “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Public Records” Eliminates the cap on the hourly rate a government entity may charge for a public records request and adds two exceptions to the Freedom of Access Act: email addresses obtained by the state for noninteractive communications and documents submitted to a municipal board of appeals concerning mental or physical disability of a person who is seeking a variance from land use regulations to accommodate the disability.

L.D. 135 “An Act To Require All Government Documents To Be Posted on the Internet” This bill requires a public entity to make available on a publicly accessible site on the Internet all public records in the possession of the public entity.

L.D. 62 “An Act To Provide Additional Funding for Respite Care for the Elderly and for Adults with Disabilities” Adds $460,000 for the next two years for the Department of Health and Human Services to fund respite services for the adult day program.

L.D. 77 “An Act To Require Health Care Practitioners To Distribute Free Samples of Medication in Certain Circumstances” Requires health care practitioners to distribute free samples of medicines to a patient in to test the reaction and effectiveness of the treatment depending on availability, appropriateness and timeliness.

L.D. 95 “Resolve, To Create the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children” Establishes Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children which study issues of child sexual abuse in Maine and recommend policies and submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee.

L.D. 132 “Resolve, To Provide Organic Infant Formula through the Maine Women, Infants and Children Program” Requires the Maine Women, Infants and Children Program to offer organic infant formula, as the sole product or as a choice if it meets program requirements and is available at equal or lesser cost of non-organic formula.

State and Local Government Committee; work sessions; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 106 “An Act To Abolish the Trustees of Public Cemeteries for the City of Waterville” This emergency bill gives the responsibilities for the care and upkeep for public cemeteries to the city, eliminating the Trustees of Public Cemeteries.

L.D. 134 “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Reduce the Size of the Legislature” Amends the Maine Constitution so that the House has 101 members and the Senate has 25 members.

L.D. 61 “An Act To Amend Standards for Participation in Certain Public School Services by Students Who Are Home-schooled” Provides students receiving home-schooling are eligible for subsidies for post-secondary courses and are eligible for special education services in the same manner that students in private schools are.

L.D. 91 “An Act To Raise the School Construction Bond Cap” This bill increases the major capital maximum debt service limit for school construction projects for the next two years to $1.26 million.

L.D. 92 “An Act Relating to Private School Student Participation in Public School Co-curricular, Interscholastic and Extracurricular Activities” Eliminates the requirement that resources and services are available to students in private school recognized by the Department of Education by limiting the public school principal or their designee in denying participation to situations where the school can’t reasonably accommodate the student.

Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee; public hearings; room 208; Cross Building

L.D. 159 “An Act Regarding the Laws Governing Unemployment Compensation Benefits for Employees of Temporary Staffing Agencies” If a temporary staffing agency gives prior written notice that upon completion of a job, the employee must contact the staffing agency to seek additional work or the employee is considered to have voluntarily separated from the job for the purpose of unemployment compensation benefit eligibility.

L.D. 235 “An Act To Improve Insurance Coverage for Volunteer First Responders” Clarifies that injuries suffered by volunteer firefighters or volunteer emergency medial services person in the process of responding to a call are compensable.

Transportation Committee; public hearings; room 126; State House

L.D. 67 “An Act To Strengthen Collaboration in the Transfer of Responsibilities for State and State Aid Highways” Requires the Department of Transportation to work collaboratively with the affected municipality to ensure that a section of state or state aid highway being transferred to a municipality for maintenance is in good condition.

L.D. 74 “Resolve, Directing the Department of Transportation To Place a Sign on Northbound Interstate 95 Directing Motorists to Lee Academy” Directs the Department of Transportation to place a sign on Interstate 95 at the northbound exit closest to Lee Academy; requires Lee Academy to pay for signs.

L.D. 127 “An Act To Amend the Definition of ‘Public Way’ To Include Streets and Highways Owned by Quasi-municipal Corporations or Districts” Includes ways owned by a quasi-municipal corporation or district in the definition of a public way.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; public hearings; room 437; State House

L.D. 53 “An Act To Increase Voting Access” Allows people to vote by absentee ballot in the presence of a municipal clerk until the close of business on the day before election day.

L.D. 54 “An Act To Expand Access to Absentee Ballots” Eliminates restriction on the issuance of absentee ballots, removes deadlines for the return of an absentee ballot by a third person and allows people to vote by absentee ballot until 8 p.m. the day of any election.

L.D. 156 “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine Concerning Early Voting and Voting by Absentee Ballot” Requires the Legislature to allow qualified voters to vote at a polling place in or outside of the city, town or plantation where that voter’s residence has been established and allows voting by absentee ballot by citizens without requiring they be absent or physically incapacitated.

L.D. 184 “An Act To Enhance Transparency in Government by Implementing a Waiting Period for Legislators before They May Register as Lobbyists” This bill prohibits a person who served as a Legislator, from the 126th Legislature on, from lobbying until one year after that person’s term as a Legislator ends.

L.D. 216 “An Act To Extend the Hours for the Sale of Liquor on Sunday When St. Patrick’s Day Is on a Sunday” This emergency bill removes the prohibition on the sale of liquor on Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. when St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, falls on a Sunday.

L.D. 243 “Resolve, To Direct the Department of Education To Amend Its Rules Regarding Restraint of Students” This emergency bill directs the Department of Education to allow the use of physical restraint and seclusion to prevent imminent risk of harm to a student or others, significant property damage, to prevent disruption of the educational environment and when authorized in writing by a student’s parent. These changes must be made within seven business days of the effective date of the bill.

L.D. 244 “An Act To Amend the Student Membership Criteria of the State Board of Education” This emergency bill requires that student members of the State Board of Education attend school in the congressional district the student represents at the time of appointment.

L.D. 78 “An Act To Expand Transitional Assistance for Families” Expands eligibility to TANF by changing the upper limit of financial eligibility to 200 percent of the federal poverty line, time period during which payment premiums for transitional Medicaid is not required to nine months and extends the period of eligibility for transitional Medicaid to six months. Extends transitional transportation benefits to 18 months, expands financial eligibility to 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and expand transitional food assistance to $75 per month.

L.D. 87 “An Act To Improve Community Mental Health Treatment” Requires the DHHS to develop programs to provide housing for people with chronic mental illness to ensure psychiatric rehabilitation, improve rehabilitation and recovery of those people.

State and Local Government Committee; work sessions; room 214; Cross Building

L.D. 183 “An Act To Exempt Municipalities That Do Not Hold Annual Meetings from Required Publication of an Annual Report” This bill provides that only municipalities that hold a town meeting are required to publish an annual report.

L.D. 210 “An Act To Require That Forms, Pamphlets and Other Documents Be Designed To Permit the Continued Use of the Materials” Bans the name of any state agency, board, commission or department officials on any document they produce and distribute to the public after Jan. 1, 2014, unless its inclusion is required to make the document legal.

L.D. 231 “An Act To Support the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women” This emergency bill authorizes the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women to accept and expand funds for their purposes, eliminates the vice chair and the term period for the chair.

Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee; work sessions; room 437; State House

L.D. 110 “An Act To Limit Political Contributions by Public Employee Labor Unions” Prohibits a public employee labor union from making contributions to a candidate in a state primary or general election for statewide office.

L.D. 121 “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Operation of Tournament Games by Charitable Organizations” Allows charitable organization to hire nonmembers to conduct tournament games and their compensation is limited to 20 percent of the gross revenue from entry fees. Increases maximum entry fee to $220, $225 and $250.

L.D. 262 “An Act To Restore to Jimmy J. Soucy the Right To Maintain Existing Structures on Property in Sinclair” This bill specifies permissible uses of property in Sinclair and structures on that property acquired by Jimmy J. Soucy in 2009 from the State of Maine are residential.

L.D. 145 “An Act To Ensure Adequate Child Protective Services throughout the State” Requires the DHHS to establish in each county at least one office with the staff to provide child protective services.

L.D. 162 “An Act To Repeal the Maine Certificate of Need Act of 2002” Eliminates the requirement that a person receive a certificate of need from the DHHS before introducing additional health care services.

L.D. 198 “An Act To Clarify Physicians’ Delegation of Medical Care” Clarifies that a physician or surgeon may delegate to their employees certain medical care without being present at the time they are performed.

L.D. 230 “An Act To Establish the Commission on Health Care Cost and Quality” Establishes the Commission on Health Care Cost and Quality to monitor Maine’s health care and re-establishes State Health Plan.

Judiciary Committee; public hearings; room 438; State House

L.D. 47 “An Act To Retain the Position of Parent Coordinator in the Judicial Branch” Extends the law allowing a court to appoint a third party as a parent coordinator to oversee and resolve disputes that arise between parents to continue beyond the Jan. 1, 2014.

L.D. 147 “An Act Regarding Consent for Adoption” Requires that written consent of the original adoptive parent must be given before a petition of a second adoptive parent may be granted.

L.D. 154 “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Limited Liability for Recreational or Harvesting Activities” Includes premises to include private railroad crossings where recreational or harvesting activities may take place regardless of whether an agreement exists, removes the exemption where permission was granted for recreational or harvesting activity for money and provides recreational or harvesting activities do not limit liability that exist by a contract.

L.D. 6 “An Act To Prohibit a Requirement That a Superintendent Reside in the School Administrative Unit” Emergency bill prohibits school boards from requiring a superintendent reside in a municipality within the school district.

L.D. 93 “An Act To Require Public Secondary Schools To Offer a Course in Gun Safety and Handling” Requires public secondary schools to offer an optional firearms safety and handling course.

Friday

10 a.m.

Taxation Committee; public hearings; room 127; State House

L.D. 150 “An Act To Modernize State Income Tax Refunds” Requires in 2014 individual income tax refunds must be made in the form of a debit card or direct deposit, or by check if requested by those 56 years or older.

L.D. 167 “An Act To Base the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax on the Purchase Price of the Motor Vehicle” Requires that the excise tax for all motor vehicles and campers be based on the actual money financed or paid by the consumer after rebates or discounts.

L.D. 212 “An Act To Provide a Tax Exemption for Tobacco Sold to an Adult Member of a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe for Cultural, Spiritual or Ceremonial Purposes” This bill provides a sales tax exemption for the purchase of cigarettes and tobacco products by adult members of federally recognized Indian tribes for cultural, spiritual or ceremonial purposes.

L.D. 234 “An Act To Provide Tax Treatment Consistency for Limited Liability Companies and S Corporations” Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, limited liability companies or S corporations to receive an income tax credit against their share of the entities income, this can’t be used to deduct the entities income.

L.D. 240 “An Act To Allow Motor Fuel Taxable Sales Disclosure” This bill provides that monthly reports of the number of gallons of taxable gasoline and special fuel sold in the State are not confidential.

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